Mass Effect: Alternate End
by Ravcfox67
Summary: It has been 1 year since the Reapers and the Mass Relays were destroyed. The crew of the Normady, still filled with grief since the presumed death of Commander Fox Shepard, are finally able to leave the planet they were stranded on, but their journey is far from over. I mean, considering the fact that Shepard isn't dead. *May turn into Rated: M*
1. Prologue: The End

? Month, ? Day, 2186, Citadel/Crucible, The End of the War Against the Reapers

2 Minutes until Alliance Victory

"The crucible changed me, created new… possibilities. But I can't make them happen. If there is to be a new solution, you must act." It gestured to the structure to the right of us; a giant glass-protected cable. I guessed it was some kind of power supply from the Citadel, or the Catalyst, to the Crucible. "It is now in your power to destroy us." It continued. "But be warned, others will be destroyed as well. The Crucible will not discriminate. All synthetics will be targeted. Even you are partly synthetic." My mind made it like I could see the now dead Admiral Anderson destroying the large cable.

My mind immediately flew back to Legion, and what happened on Rannoch. He sacrificed his own life so the Geth could finally have free will once again, and could no longer be controlled by the Reapers… But if I chose to destroy the power supply, I would be undermining everything he did for organics… For the Geth…

"…But the Reapers will be destroyed?" I asked it.

"Yes," It answered. "But the peace won't last. Soon, your children will create synthetics, and then the chaos will come back."

The Catalyst's flat tone in everything he said was starting to get to me. "There has to be another way!" I demanded.

"There is," It said, surprising me with the unexpected answer. It gestured to the station on the left, with what looked like two large needles above some hand scanners. "You could instead use the energy of the crucible to seize control of the Reapers." I could see the Illusive Man at the station, electricity flowing all around his body, before the illusion faded away.

I chuckled a bit. "So, the Illusive Man was right after all?" I asked the Catalyst.

"Yes, but he could never have taken control, because we already controlled him." Figures.

"But somehow I can?"

"You will die. You will control us, but you will lose everything."

I thought about his response for a solid 5 minutes. I would be able to save everyone, save Earth, even save the galaxy, at the cost of my own… life… Am I really this selfish? Am I really willing to sacrifice every living being in the galaxy… Just so I can have a little more time with the people I love and care for? I dug whatever what was left of my nails into one of the cuts on my left arm, where most of my armor was either buried into my arm, or somewhere in a pile of ash back in London. The Catalyst watched, neither curious, nor disgusted.

"Focus!" I thought. "You can't just let everyone die because of your selfishness!" I was right, but something in the back of my mind kept me from answering. I kept digging through my brain, trying to figure out what kept holding me back, when I got to an image of my cabin in the Normandy. There was nothing special about it, but one thing stood out to me: The single picture that stood atop my bedside table. That picture made me realize why I was resistant to choose to control the Reapers.

"…But the Reapers will obey me?" I finally spoke up.

"Yes. We will be yours to control and direct as you see fit." The Catalyst answered, unaffected by my staying quiet for so long. Come to think of it, that seemed to happen a lot these past few years… Weird.

I sighed, the pressure to choose the fate of the galaxy started weighing heavily on my mind. Soon, the Catalyst took notice. "There is another solution…" It gestured towards the huge beam of light in the middle of the platform. "Synthesis."

He kept silent after that. "…And that is?" I asked, sarcastically gesturing for it to continue.

"Add your energy to the Crucibles." It finally said.

'So this is what it feels like.' I thought to myself.

"The chain reaction will combine all synthetic and organic life into a new framework; a new DNA."

That was off the table. I have no right to do that, even if I was willing to sacrifice myself. "You're asking me to change everything, everyone. I can't make that decision, and I won't." I immediately responded.

"Why not?" He asked. Now THAT surprised me, it actually sounded curious. "Synthetics are already part of you. Can you imagine your life without them?" He had a point.

"That's beside the point."

The Catalyst sounded impatient, surprising me again. "Your time is at an end, you must decide!"

"…Fine." I began limping towards my choice. "Then let's get this over with."

"Do what you must." Said the Catalyst, before finally fading away.

When I realized I could never see my family ever again, I remember exactly what my father said to me on my 16th birthday:

"I know things may seem like life is hell, but you must never give up. You have a full life ahead of you; friends you've never met, a love you've never known!"

"Well dad…" I said to myself as I approached my destination. "I doubt this is what you thought would happen when you said that…"

I soon stood directly in front of the power supply, and began firing whatever remained in my thermal clip. "When I finally see you, mom, and Cheryl when this is all over…"

I walked up towards the wire, one last round left in my pistol.

"I'll look up at the face I haven't seen in nearly 200 years…"

I aimed my gun directly at the center, and fired; flames engulfing me in seconds. My life flashed before my eyes, my friends all giving me a caring look. Garrus, Joker, Kaiden, Ashley, Wrex, Dr. Chakwas, Jack, Miranda, Jacob, Thane, Legion, Grunt, Mordin, James, Cortez, EDI, Traynor…Tali...

"And I'll tell you…"

"You were right."

Prologue: End


	2. Chapter 1: Dead, Once Again

December 21, 2187, New Huerta Memorial Hospital

1 Year after Alliance Victory

After the explosion on the Citadel, everything went white. I was completely motionless; I couldn't move my limbs, bend my fingers, blink, breathe, see, feel, I was just… there. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, neither living, or dying. Even though I couldn't eat or drink anything… or move… or breathe… It somehow felt like I didn't even need to. It was like what I imagined what it was like to be that one random painting you have framed in your house. You know; that one random picture you have hung up in your living room, but you have no idea where it came from because you've had it for so long you can't remember where you bought it, or why you even bought it in the first place.

Occasionally, for some reason I'm still not sure of, I'd be able to move my eyelids for a bit. When I realized that, I'd always try to fall asleep. Even though I was pretty much just "existing" at the time, if that makes sense, I still felt exhaustion. And considering the fact that I couldn't do a God damn thing, not even breathe, I took every chance I got at sleep.

But every time I did, I kept getting these weird visions; visions of my past. There were ones where I was a little kid, walking with my parents while my sister kept messing with me. There were ones where my sister helped me with homework and chores while my parents were busy working. There were more recent ones where I was training under the Higher-Ups to join the Alliance, walking around the Citadel, joining the crew of the Normandy, so many memories. And when the vision ended, my eyes would automatically open. I wouldn't actually fall asleep, but I'd still feel refreshed, ready to face another unspecified amount of time of nothing.

It was when I finally got to Eden Prime when I finally woke up.

It was just another day(?) of doing nothing, when I finally got the chance to close my eyes. How I hadn't gone crazy by then from the absolute nothing around me, I don't know, but I shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth. Anyway, I closed my eyes after I finally got the chance. I was extremely tired for some reason at the time, so I was ecstatic for some "rest" in exchange for a little movie-watching. But when I blinked, I was consumed with fear, and I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't for some reason, no matter how much I tried. I was scared, but soon, I started hearing voices.

"So, who've we got this time?" One voice said.

"Hang on a sec, the scanner's still loading." Said another. Soon, something was happening to my body.

"Let's see…" Said the second voice. "Oh God… It's Commander Shepard."

"Really?! Let me see!" Said the first voice. There was a brief silence. "Wow, That's a damn shame… Well, let's get this over with, we'll call the Normandy once he's been cremated." My whole body felt so weird, like I was covered in nails, feeling had returned to my body.

"Okay, so… Commander Fox N. Shepard… Whoa, you're not gonna believe this…"

"What is it, are you gonna tell me he's a robot? A Turian? A woman?"

"No… According to the files… He's Nearly 200 years old!"

"Bullshit, what do you think I am, a Krogan?" Racist.

"No, just listen." My lungs started working again, but I couldn't inhale.

"Full Name: Fox Noble Shepard. Race: Human. Age: 171 Years. Birthdate: December 21, 2016. Alliance Rank: Commander, Specter. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Discovered in an abandoned research lab in 2180. Shepard was discovered in the main lab inside a malfunctioning Cryo-Chamber. According to notes left in the lab, rogue scientists resulted in kidnapping unsuspecting children for experiments in perfectly preserving life for the "future generation". From what the notes say, he was the only survivor… His sister died in the cryo-pod right next to his."

"Holy shit… So, how old was he when he was frozen?" I was suffocating, but I still couldn't move, I couldn't get help.

"Umm… 13. Once he was revived and accepted the fact that he'd never get to see his parents again, and the fact that his sister was basically murdered, he began to show extreme talent using guns and tech, so many Turians and Krogans began to get together to help him join the Alliance, arguing that even though that even though technically he was 15 at the time, considering the freezing process, he'd technically lived over 100 years."

"And he made it?"

"Well, considering the fact that the only reason we're still alive because of him, I'd say yes, he made it."

"Also, it says that once he joined the Alliance, his first mission was the incident that happened on Akuse. Jesus Christ, this kid's gone through so much traumatizing shit, yet he still ended up saving the entire Galaxy…"

"Man, it's a shame that he finally kicked the bucket. But at least he's with his family again."

"Yeah… Let's just get this over with."

"Would you two help me already?!" I thought.

I couldn't take it anymore. My lungs were on fire, and since I just found out that I wasn't actually dead, I didn't really want to go back to white nothing. So, I focused all I could into activating my omni-tool, and once it appeared, I activated the blade, and pulled all my strength into shoving it into my leg, hoping the shock from the blade would reactivate my respiratory system. It thankfully did, and I immediately sat up and gasped for as much air as I could.

"Oh my god!" I said, after 5 or 6 long breaths. "Oh my god, it feels so good to breathe! I have been stuck in that goddamn place for so long, I forgot what it was like to fucking _live_!" I proceeded to ignore the two gentlemen in front of me who had just been horribly traumatized for around 10 minutes, reveling in the fact that I had overcome my own death yet again. But eventually, once I finally calmed down, I soon took notice of the two men hugging each other in utter fear.

"Oh… Um… Sorry." I said, getting up from the surgical table my body had been laid upon. Pain still hadn't come back to me, so the giant cut in my leg still hadn't registered to my brain" I apparently have a habit of... _not dying_. You guys okay?" I reached my hand out to help them get off the floor they were currently sitting on. Eventually, one of the two took my hand and got up. "So, mind if I asked where I ended up this time?"

"Y-Yeah…" The first man said. He was the one who was apparently looking at my file earlier. "T-This is New Huerta Memorial Hospital, on the Citadel. We rebuilt it after you caused the explosion that short-circuited the Reapers."

"Really?" I finally took the chance to look at my surroundings; the room looked like the same one Kaidan was treated in after we escaped Earth when the Reapers first attacked. "It looks about the same to me."

"Well… Trust me," The second guy got up after a bit. "There are a lot of changes we've made in the past year."

"…Wait… Did you just say "year"!? I've been dead for a year!?"

"…Apparently…"

"Great," I hunched my back in depression. "Now that's _3_ years of my life that I'll never get back…" I looked at the ground out of sadness, and soon realized the small pile of blood that was forming underneath my feet. Not only did I have a giant cut in my leg, but the busted-up armor I was still wearing from my encounter with a Reaper laser beam was now jamming itself into my malnourished body. "Oh, umm, you two wouldn't happen to have any medi-gel on you, would you?" I looked down again.

"…And a spare set of clothes?"

Chapter 1: End


	3. Chapter 3: A Friend's Last Wish

December 21, 2187, C-Sec Academy, In Front of Admiral Hackett's Office

After getting a quick patch-up with some spare medi-gel, and having one of the two morticians go and pick me up some clothes, (A usual look of mine; a large, grey V-neck T-shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, an N7 leather jacket, and a set of nice, black dress shoes.) I finally took the chance to check the extranet, and see what the hell happened to me after I died… Again…

Apparently, after I set off the… I don't know what to call it, so I'll just go with "Reaper EMP". So, after I set off the Reaper EMP in the Crucible, it spread out through the galaxy using the Mass Relays, causing immense damage to them in the process. Because of that, No one could use them to travel across the galaxy for a while. It took more than 6 months to repair most of them, but they're still not very stable, so the Alliance has issued that the Mass Relays are only to be used under extreme circumstances, like transporting the necessary materials to repair other relays. I also looked up what happened to the Normandy, and her crew. I was horrified when I read that they hadn't been heard from for 6 months, but I was relieved when it was reported that everyone had survived, and they were just stranded on an unnamed planet. Once the Mass Relays near them were repaired, they were able to leave the planet, and do whatever they were doing now.

I really wanted to go see them, more than anything, but when I was changing out of my horribly disfigured armor, something fell out from under my chest plate, and onto the floor. It was my N7 dog tags, horribly burnt from the Reaper laser beam. But the thing that caught my eye was something else that fell onto one of the tags. I reached down and picked up the object. It was something Anderson had given to me after we took down the Reaper in front of the beam that would transport us to the Citadel. It was a small USB flash drive he's been keeping for years, given to him by Admiral Hackett.

"If you make it out of this alive, I want you to have what's on this. I don't need it anymore, and, depending on how this goes, I may not ever need it again." Not wanting upset him, I gladly took it, and hooked it onto the chain I had my dog tags on, reassuring him that we're all gonna make it through this. Of course… That didn't happen. When I got the chance, I would look up where Anderson, Thane, Mordin, and Eve were buried. I needed to make peace with them. Anyways, seeing that flash drive made me extremely curious about what was in it. And since this was the last thing Anderson gave to me before his death, I felt that it would be right to see what he thought was so important to give to me. So, after a quick cleanup in the bathroom, and reimbursing the mortician who bought me the clothes, I left for Hackett's office.

Around the time I was unfrozen, USB ports and plugs pretty much became obsolete, so most computers didn't have them installed, and by 2182, most, if not all, computers no longer had them installed. Luckily for me, I knew one person who still owned a functioning computer with a working USB port. Hackett was a very big antique collector, as was especially in love with ancient (According to 2187) technology. He had actually restored an old IMac G5 from 2002, and kept it hidden in his office. For some reason, Hackett felt that I could be trusted enough to show me the Mac, thinking that since I was born around the time that it came out, I could appreciate it more than others. I did, but it was a little weird to see something like that as an antique. 'Is this how the elderly from my time felt?' I thought.

Using my still-active Specter status, thank God, I made it to Hackett's office in the C-Sec Academy. Luckily for me, he was in. I knocked on his office door. I could hear him talking to someone. "Hang on, Come on in!" He yelled. He was facing the wall opposite of me when I walked in. "Look, I know you need that shipment of Element Zero, but we've been having problems with some gang factions over here. We're trying our best to sort everything out, but until we can take care of Aria T'Loak, you won't be getting that shipment for a while."

"Oh, God dammit; T'Loak is still causing shit?" I said without thinking, immediately covering my mouth afterwards.

"… John, I'm gonna have to call you back." I assume he hung up inside his head, (I still have no idea what to call it when you end communications inside your head.) lunged towards his desk, and stood facing me, with a pistol aimed right at my head. I immediately threw my hands into the air. "Okay, listen. I have been drowning in paperwork for over 4 months, I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks, and the med bay is almost completely out of aspirin mainly because of ME! So, you have about 5 seconds to get rid of that asinine disguise, and tell me who the hell you are, and why you think you can get away with pretending to be Commander Shepard."

I took a second to think how I should phrase my next few words before he shot me. "Look Hackett, I know this seems really bad, but I can explain. I AM Commander Fox Shepard of the SSV. Normandy, and if you let me, I have proof in my pocket right now." I was already praying to any God that was listening.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes."

"…Okay, you've got one thing going for you, but you're gonna need more than Shepard's smartass-ery."

"And I've got that proof right here! If you see what I have in my pocket, you'll know I'm really Shepard!" Oh, God, I was gonna die…

"Hmm… Fine, but I'm getting it out. Now, which pocket is it in?" He was now right in front of me, the barrel of his pistol was pushing against the tip of my nose.

"L-Left pocket…" He reached his hand into the pocket, the gun still pointed at my head. After scrounging around, he pulled out a single piece of paper. "…Umm…" My face turned a little red. "That's the wrong thing… I meant the right pocket…" What Hackett had pulled out, was a single picture of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, on my bed, with, let's just say, a _minimal_ amount of clothing on. This picture, by far, was one of my most prized possessions, right next to the bigger, framed picture of an unmasked Tali I had in my cabin on the Normandy. Anyway, after having a look on his face like a kid who just found his dad's Playboy collection, Hackett coughed, and finally put the picture back. 'You're gonna get it once I'm done with everything.' I though.

This time, he reached into the right pocket, and pulled out the proof that I was Commander Shepard: My dog tags. "These… These are Shepard's tags!" He said, completely surprised. "How the hell did-"

"When the Reaper EMP went off, I destroyed the Catalyst's power supply, which ended in another explosion engulfing me. While my armor was completely destroyed, somehow, my tags mostly survived, along with this." I reached into my jacket pocket, and pulled out the flash drive Anderson gave me. "Anderson gave me this right before we made the rush to the transport beam. He said that whatever was on this drive was now mine." I handed him the flash drive. "You're the only person I know who still has a computer that can read thumb drives like that. You and that _IMac G5._ "

He looked at me, complete and utter disbelief covered his face. "I-I gave this to Anderson as a birthday present…You… You ARE Shepard!"

I smiled, lowering my hands. "It's nice to see you, too, Admiral."

After a quick catching-up chat, Hackett finally pulled out the computer, and I got to work. I plugged in the thumb drive, powered on the computer, and opened the file. There were two things on the drive: One was a .JPEG photo, and the other was a document written a few days before we destroyed the Cerberus base. It read as follows:

 _Shepard,_

 _If you're reading this, then I am most likely dead, or missing. Either way, I've been meaning to do this for a while. You've been a top-notch soldier, an amazing hero, and a great friend to me. As you may know, Kahlee Sanders and I used to be together, but due to circumstances I don't have time to explain, we separated. But while we were together, we decided to move in together. Since then, though, I haven't stepped foot in that place for years. So, I'm giving it to you. If I really am dead, then this will be my final gift to you, friend. The address is down below, along with the document entitling you as its owner. Fox… It's been an honor to serve with you._

 _,David Anderson_

 _P.S, Do me a favor. If you see Kahlee again… Please tell her that I love her, very much. Thank you._

"So…" I said, wiping away the tears in my eyes.

"Now I've got a house."

Chapter 2: End


	4. Chapter 4: Free Sushi

2187, Citadel Wards, Apartment Complex

 ***NEW RESIDENT IDENTIFIED** *****

 ***WELCOME, FOX SHEPARD** *****

The sliding doors slowly opened as the building VI spoke in its usual monotone voice, and I entered my new home. The apartment Anderson left me was a surprisingly modern (And by that, I mean 2016 modern) apartment, that looked like it belonged to some kind of movie star. "Whose dick did Anderson fellate to get this awesome fucking house?!" I said out loud.

 ***12 ALLIANCE OFFICIALS, AND ONE JANITOR***

"Umm… Any females?" I asked, nervously.

 ***OUT OF THE 13… 6 HAVE BEEN REGISTERED AS FEMALE***

"Jesus Christ, Anderson…" I slowly walked into what I thought was to be the kitchen, immediately raided the fridge. I was starving, and I wanted to keep my person on the down-low, at least until I rejoined the crew. After eating nearly everything I could find, I sat down on the couch, and contacted Hackett. "Hackett, any news so far?"

"Shepard, you called just in time. I've got something that you may like."

"Really?! Is it Tali?!" I stood up too fast, and banged my shin on a nearby coffee table.

"Calm down. It isn't Ms. Zorah, but it is someone from the crew of the Normandy; Joker."

"Really? What's he doing?"

"Well, the higher ups decided that after everything they've gone through; destroying the Reapers, getting through your "death", escaping the uncharted planet they were stranded on, and such, the crew of the Normandy deserved some rest. So, the ship's entire crew were sent to serve a mandatory Shore Leave. And, thanks to some news reporters and people on Instagram- "

"Hold on," I interrupted. "Instagram's still a thing?"

"Yes, but the name was officially changed to "Exchange-o-Gram". But everyone still calls it Instagram."

"…Huh."

"Yes, anyways, thanks to some leads, I found out that Joker is actually out on a dinner date with EDI at the Ryuusei sushi restaurant in the Upper Wards. I've gotten you VIP access to get inside, so you might want to get on that."

"Thanks, Hackett. Once I'm done with everything, I'll make you lunch."

"Sounds nice. Good luck, Shepard." He ended communications. So, after locating the main bathroom, took a quick shower, and cleaned myself up a bit, I headed over towards the Upper Wards.

The Upper Wards of the Citadel have been known for its high-stakes gambling, overabundance of alcoholic beverages, and arcade. Anytime someone wanted to have a good time, the Upper Wards were the place to go, Daddy-O. Anyway, after taking in the view, I walked up to the Ryuusei entrance. The Bouncer in front of the entrance stopped me.

"Excuse me, sir. You're gonna need to wait in the line." He gestured to the ginormous line next to me. I activated my omni-tool, and pulled up the VIP pass Hackett had sent to me. The Bouncer looked the pass over. "Your good, have a nice diner, sir." I walked into the restaurant, the numerous groans of the people in the line filled the air. After looking around for a bit, I final spotted Joker and EDI in the back of the room. I walked over towards them, but stopped next to a nearby structural beam, so I could listen in on their conversation. I've been gone for over a year, so it'll be nice to see how things are going between the two other love birds on the ship…

"Jeff," EDI began. "I wanted to talk to you about last night." She didn't sound distressed; if anything, she sounded curious.

Joker finished taking a sip of his wine. "Yeah? What's wrong?" He suddenly looked distressed. "Did I do something wrong?!"

"No, Jeff. I simply wanted to ask you about something I detected during the night."

"Oh…" Joker's face got a bit red, and he calmed down. "Well, what is it?"

"Around 4 hours after you fell asleep holding on to me, I detected something jabbing my back." Her saying that with her straight face made it even better.

"O-oh… Well, do you think you know what it was?" His face got even redder.

"I'm not sure, but I believe that it may intrude your room again, so I have installed hidden cameras everywhere in your room." I was trying so hard to hold back my laughter.

"W-wait, what?!" He slammed his palms against the table, and may have broken a finger considering the loud slam of his back against the floor after jumping from the pain: which also happened at the same time that I fell flat on my back, laughing and crying from so much laughing. "Wait a second…" Joker said after EDI slowly helped him up. He definitely broke a finger. "Is that… Shepard!?"

"Shepard?!" EDI said, dropping Joker in the process, and making me laugh harder in the process. Great job, Fox, you just did the one thing you were trying to avoid, and made yourself look like a complete fucking idiot at the same time. For the love of Rem, how you were able to survive two of your own deaths, destroy an entire robot devil army, and save the entire galaxy 3 times, escapes even your own damn mind.

After nearly 10 minutes of loud, annoying laughter, and multiple groups of people leaving the restaurant, I got up from the floor, and gave my attention to the two people who gratefully waited for my laughing fit to end. EDI graciously lent me a hand to get up.

"So, um…" I said, trying to catch my breath. "I'm not dead… Again…"

"NOT DEAD?!" Joker yelled. "You've been gone for almost a year, what the hell!?" I thought he was mad, but soon, he grinned bigger than the night after him and EDI first "spent the night" together. "Christ, it's like Satan himself just keeps you out of Hell for fear of getting overthrown!" He patted me on the shoulder.

"What can I say," I chuckled. "I probably would if I had nothing to do." I brought both of them in close, and I did my usual gag of trying to break Joker's spine under the pretense of giving him a hug. It's always fun to see him try and squeeze his way out of my arms, but this was a sincere hug. I hadn't seen anyone of my friends for, apparently, a year, so I've wanted to hug _someone_ for a while. After I let go, Joker was trying to catch his breath, while EDI just stood there.

"Hehe… Yep," Joker said. "You're Shepard, alright."

"It's good to see you again, Shepard." EDI finally said. I suspect she didn't want to assume right off the bat that I was the actual Shepard, and not just a clone. And she was right;

 _ **I**_ wasn't the clone.

Chapter 3: End


End file.
